Три самых гламурных и тяжелых дня
Thursday (October 28, 2010) came back from India... but let's start from the very beginning.
Since day one at the Ministry I have been dragging this preparatory work for the visit of the Belarus First deputy Prime Minister to India. I wasn't there when the idea was born, but rather dived into the process as it went, or, to put it as it is - I was thrown into this bandwagon with no time to look around. So here I am sitting at my desk a couple of hours more every week as the date of the visit approaches. More documents, more decisions, more details. Within 2 months the dates of the visit have changed three times, the visit itself was twice on the verge of cancellation and finally my name was put into the list of the group the last moment. Well, not the very last... as several delegates, who initially did not plan to go were ordered to do so a day before the flight.
Anyways, here I am on the plane to New Delhi, surrounded by Ministers, deputy Ministers and directors of high-profile Belarussian companies. Three hours of sleep on the plane, 15 minutes to suit up and here you go, it all started. Six meetings with Indian Ministers me doing two-way translation. Next day - five hours of sleep and four meetings, next day - six hours of sleep and two meetings. Hehehe, as everybody chants these days - it does get better)
The three days were the most glamorous and yet busiest I had in my professional life.
The glamorous part is that I was living in one of the best hotels, had a personal driver, was invited to all VIP events, saw the President of India, met the Vice-President, Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs and a bunch of other Ministers and heads of top industrial companies of India, used a personal airplane to go to one of the meetings and to briefly visit Taj Mahal.
The busy part - literally not a minute to take a breath during the day, 15 minutes for dinner, 15 minutes for lunch and little sleep.
When the visit was coming to its end I realized one thing - I like this lifestyle and wish I could keep to it a little longer.
Don't know why but being busy and necessary for everyone is quite a nice feeling. People listen to you, ask your opinion and appreciate your work, whereas you don't have to worry about where to sleep, what to eat and where to go - your every minute is planned and valuable. Could it be the dream-job's first symptom? I felt myself professional and the feeling fueled me through all these days.
I came back to Minsk, and the paperwork was waiting for me. Normally, I never let myself fall for pleasant yet transient experiences and always try to prep for the future developments, however it was the first time I couldn't take a hold of myself. When I took the pile of documents from my shelf at the Ministry, for a second I couldn't believe that I am back and had nowhere to rush. The feeling is something you go through when you lose a thing - you have this bad taste in your mouth, like there is no coming back and your train has heated up to keep the top speed but the rail track is over... Positive conclusion - I am not afraid of hard work, I can be very productive and professional, I look stunning in a suit =)
Since day one at the Ministry I have been dragging this preparatory work for the visit of the Belarus First deputy Prime Minister to India. I wasn't there when the idea was born, but rather dived into the process as it went, or, to put it as it is - I was thrown into this bandwagon with no time to look around. So here I am sitting at my desk a couple of hours more every week as the date of the visit approaches. More documents, more decisions, more details. Within 2 months the dates of the visit have changed three times, the visit itself was twice on the verge of cancellation and finally my name was put into the list of the group the last moment. Well, not the very last... as several delegates, who initially did not plan to go were ordered to do so a day before the flight.
Anyways, here I am on the plane to New Delhi, surrounded by Ministers, deputy Ministers and directors of high-profile Belarussian companies. Three hours of sleep on the plane, 15 minutes to suit up and here you go, it all started. Six meetings with Indian Ministers me doing two-way translation. Next day - five hours of sleep and four meetings, next day - six hours of sleep and two meetings. Hehehe, as everybody chants these days - it does get better)
The three days were the most glamorous and yet busiest I had in my professional life.
The glamorous part is that I was living in one of the best hotels, had a personal driver, was invited to all VIP events, saw the President of India, met the Vice-President, Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs and a bunch of other Ministers and heads of top industrial companies of India, used a personal airplane to go to one of the meetings and to briefly visit Taj Mahal.
The busy part - literally not a minute to take a breath during the day, 15 minutes for dinner, 15 minutes for lunch and little sleep.
When the visit was coming to its end I realized one thing - I like this lifestyle and wish I could keep to it a little longer.
Don't know why but being busy and necessary for everyone is quite a nice feeling. People listen to you, ask your opinion and appreciate your work, whereas you don't have to worry about where to sleep, what to eat and where to go - your every minute is planned and valuable. Could it be the dream-job's first symptom? I felt myself professional and the feeling fueled me through all these days.
I came back to Minsk, and the paperwork was waiting for me. Normally, I never let myself fall for pleasant yet transient experiences and always try to prep for the future developments, however it was the first time I couldn't take a hold of myself. When I took the pile of documents from my shelf at the Ministry, for a second I couldn't believe that I am back and had nowhere to rush. The feeling is something you go through when you lose a thing - you have this bad taste in your mouth, like there is no coming back and your train has heated up to keep the top speed but the rail track is over... Positive conclusion - I am not afraid of hard work, I can be very productive and professional, I look stunning in a suit =)